Ano Nuevo

Seals chillin at the beach.

Ano Nuevo

I can't believe how lucky we were to see the elephant seals in Ano Nuevo. I thought it was impossible to see the seals because tickets were sold out and the park rangers were saying that it was almost impossible to get tickets so last minute. Hardly anyone cancels too. But my friend and I decided to drive down there anyways. It was about 1 1/2 hour drive from San Francisco. So it was a huge gamble for us BUT somehow.... when we arrived at the gates to the park, the park ranger said that he had two extra tickets for the elephant seal tour. We were SO happy and excited! During the months of December to March, the elephant seals are known to fight and mate. I think this is the best time to check out the seals...lots of action!!!

Hanging out at City Tavern

UCLA Crew

Saikat, Brian, & Sudhir (Third World)...They always do this.

Alan, me, & Jeff

It was Friday night and it was time to chill at City Tavern in the Marina district. My friends and I love hanging out at City Tavern because of the awesome hook-ups from the bartender. I always have a great time here. This night was even better because some of my UCLA friends were around. Of course, Brian and Saikat were around and tried to smack talk about UCLA. We shall see this Thursday... CAL vs. UCLA. It will be a great game! Go Bruins!

Tapas!!!

At Bocadillos

Alan (my college buddy) and me

Tracy, Steve, & Andrew

Sudhir!

Ernest (USC dude), me, and Jeff

Joey, Phung, Jeff, Alan, Diane, & Andrew. Go Bruins!

Last night, my friends and I decided to eat at Bocadillos, a great tapas place in North Beach. We had so much food. Some of the yummy dishes are prawns with garlic flakes and lemon confit, lamb chops with mango and peach chutney, bocadillos, & calamari with romesco sauce. My favorite was of course the desserts. The warm chocolate cake with banana ice cream was so good. Then we decided to head over to the Marina district and hang out at City Tavern. We were suppose to get some hook-ups with drinks since my friend, Sudhir, knew the bartender. But his friend did not work that night and so we had to suck it up with another bartender. He was not the same. We miss Adam, the bartender. We still had a blast. Great times!

Thailand Trip

Grand Palace, Bangkok

Melissa & Mike

Singha Beer!!

Heading to the Floating Market

Grilled Giant Prawns.... Yummy!

Northern Thai Cuisine....spicy!

A Physical Therapy Clinic in Krabi... trust me this is the real thing.

Elephant dung turned into.....

....paper.

Railay Beach, Krabi

Sunset at Ko Phi Phi Don, Krabi

Melissa, Mike, & me in a long-tail boat

Red Snapper for only $8!

Having dinner at our favorite restaurant in Krabi.

Look familar? "The Beach" was filmed here!

Ma'ya Beach, where "The Beach" was filmed.

The water was so clear...you can actually see the fish.

Thailand is just awesome! I have so much great things to say about this wonderful country. I was glad to have been able to share this trip with great friends. I spent about 2 weeks in Thailand and we went almost everywhere. We started our trip in Bangkok. I was amazed at how big this city was. There were so many people AND cars! Traffic was horrible. I think worst than LA. We stayed at my friend's hotel D'MA Pavilion Hotel. It was great and included breakfast. I love breakfast. After a few days in Bangkok, we took an overnight train or should I say the roach coach to Chiang Mai (northern part of Thailand). We went elephant riding and bamboo rafting. We also went to visit some hill tribes. So much fun! Next we headed south. Too bad Nate had to take off early. He went back to the states. So it was only the three M's (Mike, Melissa, and I). We arrived in Krabi and spent most of our time on the beach! The water was SOOO clear and aqua. The sand on the beaches was so soft that it felt like stepping in coffemate. Can you imagine the softness?!!! We went snorkeling and saw so many fish!!! They were not afraid of humans at all. It was the most amazing sight ever! Of course, I went shopping! The dollar can get you so far in Thailand. I love shopping and got a bunch of stuff....so much I had to buy another bag. Thanks to my friend's sister, who lives in Thailand, I got great deals for almost everything. She knows how to bargain!!! And don't forget the Thai massages! I got so many for about $8 for 2 hours! What a deal! I ate a lot too in Thailand. The fruits and desserts are to die for! Mangosteens are so good. Coconut pancakes, Rotis (especially the banana and chocolate), and the sticky rice with mangoes are just yummy!!!! I want to go back!

Japan Trip

The entrance of the Meiji Jingou Temple.

Pandas from Arumado's in Harijuku, Toyko

Waiting in line for tickets to watch Sumo wrestling

Melissa & I in the park of the Meiji Jingou Temple.

Chillin at Arumado's in Harajuku

The best breakfast ever....Sushi Maro at the fish market

Our first meal at Edokko Restaurant...SO GOOD!

My favorite is the torched Red Snapper (the one on the bottom).

Melissa & I at the Tsukiji Fish Market...trying to dodge those CRAZY scooters (right behind us). There's no such thing as pedestrian first here.

Just got back from Japan and Thailand. It was the best trip ever!! I need to travel more. This trip was fun since my friends and I were backpacking part of the time. So that meant staying in hole-in-the wall places and eating on the streets. Yeah...I know it's SO not me but I have to admit it was an experience I will never forget. I learned A LOT!